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Hi!
>>we had a marathon prop night>>
It was a propalooza!
>>His value for actually stepping on the prop isn’t great – I kept going, taking stepping near the prop.>>
Actually, he is showing plenty of value for it – just the right amount to get the concepts. I think on some of the reps where he didn’t quite touch it, you were a little early on the clicks (clicking before he finished getting to the prop) but that is fine – you were clicking the commitment. And on the parallel path, the pups tend to go over the prop more than touch it, which is great because the prop was intended to simulate a jump bar there.
>> but it was a lot, and normally I have him do much shorter sessions.>>
I thought he was mostly really happy with the session length and amount of work. The rate of reinforcement was super high. He only had one moment of takin a break (first session, see below) but didn’t seem to need that in the other sessions.
On the videos:
He did well with the forward sending on the first video! He was trying to sort out his leads, trying to figure out if he should use his inside leg or outside leg. That is great to see him sorting it out because we want his mechanics to be comfy before we add in any jumping.
The sideways and backwards also looked really strong! It was interesting to see him give himself a breather towards the end, then come back and do 2 really strong reps. You can limit the number of reps within each session to maybe 5 or 6 before giving him a break (then coming back for more after the break).Parallel path is also looking strong – he is understanding the concept of commit to the prop and stay on the line parallel to you, even if you are getting further and further away. And he was not looking at you until after the click – yay! If the weather is decent enough to keep adding lateral distance, take this game outside.
You can also work the rear crosses in now, staying closer. In your training room, having the prop in the middle of the floor should give you enough room to get to the other side.Countermotion looked good too – the backwards version of it was a little harder at first but then he sorted it out. You can start slowly moving away sooner by walking the other direction (don’t be too quick or exciting LOL!)
I am glad you brought the toy out on this one – you were adding excitement with your ready dance and he was great, but the toy takes things to a new level. He was definitely more excited and he showed it by just going faster and being more precise. SUPER!!!
Great job on these! The next prop steps are the rear crosses and turn aways. Have fun!
Tracy
Good morning! Lots of stuff went well here, but also there were a lot of bars down. So 3 ideas for you with the bars:
– When getting a lot of bars down, drop all the bars lower so the jumping effort is easy
– if you get a bar down more than once, stop the session for a moment and watch the video in slow motion. That can give you and idea of what was causing it so you can change the info on the next rep.
– do shorter sessions 🙂 There were a LOT of runs here, a lot of full height jumping. So by 3:50 on the video, she was just tired and changed her striding. Most of the bars after that (especically the pinwheel bar) came down after that because she was tired and short-striding, not really powering over the jumps. So if the plan is to do all the sequences, then do each one once only so she doesn’t get tired out and change her jumping form.On the sequences:
Good job starting her without the RC! The send worked well. Now, add in starting her on a slice so she is facing the landing spot before she takes off and not jumping straight then turning.
On this sequence, you were running with your arm up and looking forward a lot, so she was not always sure where to be. For example on Jump 3 she would either hit the bar if you were looking forward and not at her (:05 or :33) and same at jump 4 (1:29) so when you are ahead, remember to keep your arm pointed back to her and eyes on her.
Some of the other bars were due to conflicting indicators, meaning your motion was saying one thing but your voice was saying something else. For example on jump 5, you were trying to leave early but ended up decelerating then suddenly accelerating/rotating/cueing the tunnel, so she had to sort it out as she was taking off (:36 and 1:04 for example).
That can happen on the last jump too, so be sure to accelerate past it until she lands, then you can slow down and get the toy out 🙂
The first run on the 2nd sequence went really well – nice timing on the blind! Nice timing on the collection on 5! Nice go! Yay!
Be sure to maintain connection on the go lines: at 3:03 (2nd rep) for example, you were looking ahead with no connection on 6, so she was looking at you/curling into you for more info. She doesn’t always drop the bar, but she was definitely looking at you when you were looking ahead. So remember to keep looking at her as you accelerate on that line.
For the 3rd sequence: – you can add in a turn cue when she lands from 4 and before 5 (before the tunnel threadle) so she is already turning and ready for the next cue. A name call can work in this situation, or a left verbal. She had trouble with the tunnel threadle at 3:57 and 4:20, especially because she had just done so many reps to the tunnel straight ahead 🙂
>>However, I’m not sure why we kept dropping 4 (the bar perpendicular to the tunnel). >>
That was mostly because she was tired by that point and not able to use her power as much. You can run the sequences with all the bars lower, or limit the reps at full height to one or two passes on each sequence. Otherwise she will lose steam and we want her to stay fresh and sassy.
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi! Great update!
>>She was really high,
You might need to reframe this, as it is a pretty normal state of arousal for dogs doing agility 🙂 Science says ‘high’ is a good thing, so she might closer to the optimal state and not overaroused!
>>but she was able to line up, sit, hit hard weaves and do her contacts. We did pattern game and the volume dial off to the side. Toy toy was in my pocket.>>
Super!! For simpler sequences, you can add in toy outside the ring every now and then if the instructor doesn’t mind and see how she does.
>>But, I have a question about leash off, engagement on. She is not giving me eye contact, but she also not leaving. So, what then counts as engagement? >>
Not leaving and being able to respond to cues counts as engagement. Eye contact is something that we humans decided along the way that we like, but we also like focus ahead on the first jump. So if she manages her arousal by looking ahead or not at you, and responds to cues? Rock on!
Since I ran 4 different dogs at the US Open, I paid a little extra attention to where we were both looking during the line up process. I would consider all dogs to be fully engaged, but we were not really making eye contact with each other. I was looking at the line where I wanted them to set up, then at their bodies to see if they were in the sit stay. Did I see their eyes? Yes. Did I make direct eye contact? Not really. They were looking towards me and responding to cues, then at the jump. Did they make direct eye contact? Not really.
So it doesn’t have to be direct eye contact. Plenty of dogs go into the ring, are fully engaged, line up beautifully, and focus on the job that is coming next (especially herding dogs, they are not big fans of eye contact in that moment).
>>She definitely lined up all 3 turns. Maybe slightly slower on the last turn. She was almost screaming, so I was pleased she could still hit contacts and weave in addition to lining up while her brain was in the stratosphere.>>
This is great! The slower line up at the end might have been a bit of depletion or needing more time to reset between turns, which is really hard in a class because of the time limitations. But it sounds like she did great! Super!!
Tracy
Good morning!
Nice work here! I think there are 2 main things to think aou tin each sequence:
– massive connection with your arm ponting back to him when you are ahead
– using more brake arms on soft turnsThose two things will help smooth out almost all of te spots whre he had questions. When you were getting ahead and just running, your dog-side shoulder was closing forward so he couldn’t entirely see what you wanted. That caused some bars.
And the soft turn left/rights were definitely hard (especially on turn where he tends to slide into them) so adding the brake arm as you start the verbal will get more info to himsooner, to help him set up the turn.
Sequence 1 – looking at the first rep, you can see where you were ahead but with your shoulder closed, so that pulled some of the bars. Plus, for about half of it you had your hand in your toy pocket (maybe trying to prevent the toy from falling out?) so both he and I spent some time looking at that LOL! That is enough of a distraction for you both that it caused some disconnection and lateness.
A brake arm on the 2nd jump going to the tunnel will help set him up for success on that jump.
2nd and 3rd reps was definitely better with connection and timing (and not holding the toy in your pocket). So for each first rep, really emphasize (over-emphasize!) the big connection and you should see the lines get easier.
Another thing to consider is adding a turn cue on the jump before the threadle, to set up the jumping on the line to the actual threadle jump. The threadle cue only applies to jump 6, the threadle jump. So if he doesn’t have a cue for jump 5, he might end up having to try to adjust in the air which could pull the bar like on rep 3. In this context, a name call is probably all he needs as he is landing from 4 to start turning on 5, which will make the threadle itself easier too.
2nd seq: this first run had a couple of conflicting indicators, meaning your voice was cuing one thing but your motion was cuing another. For example, the right verbal was timely but you accelerated as he was taking off so he tried to adjust in the air and dropped the bar. This is a good place to add a brake arm there so your shoulder turns don’t have to be perfect. The brake arm will cue the collection so you can keep moving there, The openings were better on the next rep, more connection, so now add all that connection to the first rep 🙂
He had a bar down at :35 as you were looking too far forward (disconnection). You don’t need to be as far ahead when working the line on landing side of 6 – you can hang back clsoer to 6, send to 5, which will also get you further ahead for the serp to blind on 6. By going too close to 5, at :38 you ended up late getting out of the way on 6 (you were still on the landing side looking over your left arm as he was taking off so the blind was late). Your timing got better on each rep after that (1:07 and 1:19) but there can be more countermotion – as you look back at the landin side, you should be moving past the exit wing so you are not in his path.
The FC between 5-6 worked well! The spin for the exit of 6 can start sooner- you started as he took for 6. Ideally when he is landing from 5, you would be decelerating and sending him past you into it, so it is finished before takeoff, or don’t finish the FC and do a throwback instead.
The 3rd sequence started with the throwback and it went really well! He found th eopening line nicely! You can use a brake arm on 4 in htis setup, because he is jumping towards the dog walk and the wall, so if you are late he will pull the bar while trying to figure it out.
>>. I have a question on the last jump. Can you clarify what handling/verbal we are doing there when we call him to the take-off side?>>
Because it is a relatively easy and obvious line from the tunnel exit, you can just call his name. Or you can use a ‘left’ verbal before he enters the tunnel but I am not sure he needed it.
>>Would more decel help him find that tight left before he heads back to the tunnel?>>
Decel would work but then you would be way behind – an earlier shoulder turn would help (you were running straight forward til he took off) and a brake arm as you keep moving 🙂
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! These looked great!
On the first one, she did the nice big send to the tunnel to let you get way ahead for the wrap – super! As she is jumping the #4 jump before the wrap jump, you can start decelerating so she is prepared for the wrap cues as she lands. That will tighten up the turns.
You can also reward that end to the tunnel – she did it but she was lifting her head a little, not entirely convinced 🙂 So you can do the big send then as you run away up the line, throw the ball back to her at the tunnel exit to build the value of sending to it as you leave. She had no questions about driving back down the line to the tunnel at the end, because you were also running that direction.
Another option to try on this one is to go closer to the #2 tunnel and then run up the line, so she drives to the wrap jump from out ahead of you.
The 2nd sequence looked good too! The send to the tunnel allowed you to get the blind cross really easily, which set up the handling to the closing line. And she was able to find the line to the tunnel at the end nicely here too, even with you behind her. You threw the ball at the end when she exited the tunnel, and she totally loved that. You can throw the ball to the tunnel exit when the send in the beginning too.
Nice work here!!
TracyGood morning!
Safe travels to Latrobe! And I am with you – it is a 2 day trip LOL!!!
The tunnel session looked great here! And super cute! We are seeing a tiny bit of left turn side preference here – but also this is a good game to help get the right turns feeling smoother too! I think all of her questions were when she was on your right (and no questions on your left).
>>I quietly moved to the next room after this and she tugged without acting like a wet gremlin that was up after midnight.>.
Fantastic!!!!! We prefer the before-midnight gremlins LOL!!!
She definitely liked the action of this game! You can add a toy toy it, and add extending the tunnel length too!
On the first moment with the Bosu, you can almost see her way “whoa, this thing is weird and it moves!” Then when she realized she could get on it for food? No questions. YAY! Having you brace it really helps, so it was unstable without being too weird or scary. That really helped her hop on and off by the end. Great job keeping it short and sweet!
Since she is with you this weekend, she will have a lot of opportunity for resilience walks, pattern games and maybe seeing if she can do some toy races!
Have a blast! Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
>>She seems to be doing good at switching between the toy and the treat too and was very focused this session>>
Heck yeah! This session went great!!
The video doesn’t show your eyes, but your shoulders and her responses made it really obvious that you were doing a great job with the blind and the re-connection! Yay! You can take this outside so you both have more running room 🙂 My only suggestion is that since she likes this toy so much, you can tie it to a leash or line so when you reward her, the toy can stay on the ground without you bending over (and so she doesn’t jump up for it – when you are running full blast, you won’t want her jumping up :))
>>(still not sure how it applies to agility since I know pretty much nothing yet!)>
Good question! When we are running a course and trying to stay ahead of a fast dog like Djinn, the blind cross helps us change sides and create turns, without having to rotate our feet. It is called “blind” because we have to take our eyes off the dog to do it , so we are blind for a moment LOL!!
And it is very worthwhile in agility to stay ahead of the dog because it is generally easier to show lines and turn when we are ahead.
You can see blinds on jumps on this video:
Great job here!!
Tracy
Good morning!
Turn and burn is going well. The right turns from your left side are very easy for her at this point – so as you do your FC, you can walk away til she has come all the way around the barrel… then mark and run. That will help her slide around the barrel and not push it.
On the left turns/starting on your right, do a short session or two where you put the bowl out on the exit line as a visual target, and reward with food. The left turns are hard for her, and the toy is a big exciting visual in your other hand. So we can help her sort out the mechanics of the right turn with the bowl and food – then let it percolate for a day or two before going back to the toys. The next step would be to add the toy back but still have a bowl on the exit line as a visual aid for the left turns/right side sends.
>>Do you think she’ll get better with more practice >>
Not more practice, necessarily – slightly different practice will help (the bowl as a the visual aid and food rewards for a session or two) then less practice! That will allow latent learning to kick in and she will have it 🙂 Whippets in particular tend to need us to show them once or twice, then practice less because they are really magical in terms of latent learning.
Parallel path is going great! Note how she is looking at the prop SO well. LOL! Love it!! You can definitely add in more rear crosses as well as the lap turn/turn away games.
Great job!!! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Ooh, this is a nice barn!!
It is fun to see how well the skills transfer – pretty super in a new place!!
The parallel path on the prop went well – she had an easier time in your left and a harder time on your right, You adjusted midsession and got closer to the prop when she was on your right (click/treat for you). Because being on your right was harder, being super close to the prop ws the way to go
Lap turns were lovely – she followed the hand pat the prop, turned beautifully, then found the prop on the way back. This will serve you well with your fourth threadles!
Turning her to her right (your left arm & leg) was a little harder for you both, so keep moving slowly. And when you step back, try to step straight back with your leg and not to the side – stepping to the side makes it look like you want her to go out there but getting her to slide straight back will help the lap turn.
After the lap turns, you did some patterns (looking good!) then back to lap turns – remember to have your magic cookie hand fully extended down to her nose and in position before she turns back to you, so she can see it. In some cases the hand cue got lost, visually, with the prop right there and because the hand is a small visual when held high and against your coat.
For example, at 2:40, she lifts her head from the cookie and your hand is a little hidden, visually – it was close to you and the prop was far more obvious so she went to the prop. The hand was more visible on the next reps but you can extend it even more and add in calling her name too 🙂
You dded the tandem turns later in the video – it was most effective when your hands were as low as possible and moving slowly, so she could coordinate the turn away. Yay! The lap turn and tandem turn never really need to have fast hand movement, so low hands and slow movement will help lock her onto the turn.
Countermotion looks great! The ready dance is coming along nicely too – you are getting engagement without overarousal. Remember that the ready dance is part of the cue, so you will get a smoother transition into the send than if you try to send her as she is on the way back to you. You can see the difference between the ready dance reps (snappy sends!!) and when you didn’t do it like at 3:44, when she was not sure if she should go or not.
You added some fun handling to this – yay!! Just be sure not to accidentally put pressure on her line as you do the FC – when you did the FC and move away on a straight line, she correctly turns toward you. When you did the FC and moved towards her, she (correctly :)) did a rear cross like at 3:35. We don’t want her mixing rear crosses into the FCs, so staying a little further from the line will keep those distinct.
4:20 was the start of the leg biting moment – I think 2 things were in play here: the cue to move to the prop was a little unclear (I was not sure what you wanted her to do) and if the video was edited in the order you did things… she had already done a LOT of stuff. So the math of it is mental depletion + an unclear cue = overarousal for a moment.
Part of the mental depletion is that being in the new environment burns a lot more energy in the brain than we give it credit for! So even though she did SUPER well, she is going to get mentally tired more quickly.
It is like shopping on Black Friday. I can shop at home from my computer and that takes relatively small amounts of brain energy. Or I can shop at the actual store in person – I can still spend my money effectively 🙂 but I will be a lot more tired in the store than I would be at home.
I don’t think you were being too much here and you are actually pretty quick and calm! It is more likely to be the other factors.
You create a ‘bell curve’ in your training sessions on the road: taking a break between sessions like you probably were doing here, you can start with a few easy reps of something, then do the harder stuff, then end the rental time with really easy stuff that requires less mental energy.
And, after each short session especially ones that have tugging, end the session with the resilience pattern game – that helps reset her arousal level over the long term and also in the moment. That way it is in place the whole time, rather than just when she has an arousal question.
Great job! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
>>I did have to control the toy with her leash as the field at dds is too much space for her little brain,>>
This was a really nice subtle way of helping her out and building value for the toy play you wanted: the leash made it a big long toy and you casually stepped on it (nice footwork there LOL!) so I don’t think she ever felt like it was being controlled.. it was more like interactive play where she still had a lot of choice of what to do. SUPER!! Terrific mechanics of play!
Her commitment to the barrel even with toy behind you was fantastic. Good girl!
For the handling: most of your handling moves here were post turns, where she started on one side of you and you turned with her, so she stayed on that side of you. Great!
At 1:19 (last rep) you did a blind cross on the barrel, where she started on your right, you turned away from her and put her on your left side, then reconnected. Gorgeous! You will need blinds with a dog this fast 🙂
So the only thing to add is is a front cross – it starts the same as a post turn, where she is in your right for example – then as she goes around the barrel, you will turn toward her (eyes on her the whole time) and put her on your left side, then drive forward to the toy.
Great job!!! She is ready for the advanced level!!
Tracy
Good morning! Lots of good work here!
Strike a pose lots good! One tweak in your position is to try to point your feet to the cookie hand and not to the target hand (on a serp, you would be moving away from the target hand, so the feet would be pointing to the next obstacle)
Retrieving looks great, she has lovely tug drive 🙂 And I am glad she is not biting you to get the toy LOL!! You can use this retrieving skill when you play with the tunnels, but throwing the reward so she drives out straight.
Sit offering : this was a good mental challenge for her!
>>I did not like the rate of reinforcement but also knew she would offer.>>>
The rate was a little low at first but then it kicked into higher gear later in the session. See below for a suggestion to get it going faster. And yes, you can try a lineup at your side (because that is super useful!) but it is great to let her think through the puzzle. Part of thinking through it is the resilience-building opportunity of “this is hard, can you think through it and bounce back” which she totally did 🙂 And resist temptation to click the tail-chasing LOL!!
Yes, she defaults to the stand at first and offered some downs, and then was offering other stuff but she did end up getting a LOT of sits clicked!!! I was going to give you a list of ideas but she is well on her way with the sit. You got lots of clicks and rewards in for it, especially after the tug break. She has quick feet so moving into a sit position requires her to quiet her feet down and be stationary… so hard!
One thing you can add is a small platform for her to sit on, so you can isolate the sit from the down. Use something big enough for her to sit on, but small enough that the down position is not going to fit on it. That can help her offer the sit and hold it (rather than going to the down right away, because the down seems to have more value).
Down is a great start line position and as you mentioned, she seems comfy holding it – so you can train the stay with this game in a down as well, but we do want to have the sit in her toolbox too. If you want the down, you can use a cue for it if you have a cue (a verbal cue or hand cue). And the little platform will help with the sit, then you will be able to put them on cue as well.
The rear crosses are going well!! Warming up with the parallel path helped and she was able to drive ahead- which bought you time to do the cross behind her, which created the turn the correct direction. Super!! She was not always sure of when to start moving forward, now that you are pretty far away, so you can give her a little ‘ready ready’ moment then start moving forward. That clear to her when you did that.
The barrel wrapping look fantastic! That is some pretty awesome commitment!!! She is turning nice and tight, and SO FAST! Love it! You can add your wrap verbals, and also start to leave sooner and sooner. Separately from turn and burn, take a look at the handling combos posted on Tuesday – they involve the barrel and also the blinds and decels and pivots… it will feel like running mini courses 🙂
Tunnel shaping went super well too! She offered beautifully and now things can get super fun! You can keep doing little sessions like this, gradually extending the length of the tunnel.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning! Glad to see you back!
Great job with your videographer also timing your sessions. It keeps things short, fast and fun especially when you have multiple games on the agenda. Really smart training!
First video was toy races: terrific! He was focusing ahead brilliantly and outrunning you to the toy. At the end, he wanted to do a bit of a victory lap. So instead of running toward him after he gets to the toy, try running away and encouraging him to chase you 🙂
This second video was the high arousal sit-say training. He did really well! That toy is VERY exciting so when you lifted it in the air, he was watching it and really had to think to get the sit. You can try having the toy a little more in front of you (not as high) and maybe a smaller toy so it is easier to squish into your hands.
He struggled on the first rep and I think it was mainly because there was a conversation going on pretty loudly – that is distracting for a baby dog so while he didn’t leave you (yay!) he couldn’t quite remember the sit. Then when the conversation quieted a little, he got the sit. Good boy!!
You were super patient which also really helped. Click/treat for you. You can keep working the stays like this, gradually adding a little duration mixed in with quick releases.
The last video is the bowl game – note how well he ignored the distraction of people moving around behind you, and probably dogs back there too. GOOD BOY!!
He did a great job going around the cone – at about 45 seconds into the session, he lost his train of thought and wandered away, so you can do a tug break at about 30 seconds to keep things spicy. There is not a ton of movement or action in this game, so I think he just mentally wandered. If you do 20 or 30 seconds, then tugging, then 20 or 30 seconds, then tugging, I bet he will not lost his train of thought 🙂
For the next session, you can start in a chair so you are getting further off the ground. Then, if he is happy with that, after the first tug break you can be standing as he does this.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!
Turn and burn looked great – he definitely had the idea of wrapping and he loved this toy, so the hardest part was getting him to wait til you were ready LOL! When you used a cookie to line him up at 1:06 he had a moment of patience which helped. You can line him up with a cookie, gently hold his collar, then send when you are ready. That can give you a moment to get the toy ready and also to add the wrap verbal!
>>I kept thinking I was leaving early during the first two sessions, but then on video I saw that I really wasn’t.>>
You can use the leash you had on the ground as a target for yourself to be able to leave sooner – keep moving the leash position closer and closer to the entry of the barrel, so you can see the exact moment to leave and it will get earlier and earlier.The collection sandwich is looking strong too!!
>>Sometimes I can’t tell if Mason is really switching sides. >>
He totally is changing side. It is hard to see when you are running, but really clear on the videos. Yay!
The only thing to add is to decelerate more after the blind, so the pivot is slower. You were quick to whip through the pivot, so his butt swung out wide (:07) where he was trying to collect, and on the 2nd rep, he lost connection to the side you wanted him on (and ended up doing a blind cross when connection broke). So decelerating and then doing the pivot more slowly while help him collect into the turn and then stay nice and tight to your leg.The “get it” to get him driving ahead after the pivot looked terrific! Yay!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyHi!
>>I’m definitely starting to trust her more! And I ran her with my other dogs barking like idiots for a distraction.>>
You are running like you trust her more 🙂
>>The judge was Pamela Bryant-Meeks, she is from Texas and has judged for FIF before. I usually like her courses.>>
They were really nice courses!
>>Novice Jumpers 2: I was going to put a BC in there, but I’m still hesitant and I chicken out! 🙂>>
That is relatable! You can set it up and practice that sequence so you feel comfortable.
>>Contacts: When we train at home, I use the Manners Minder and she usually drives to the bottom; however, without that target, things aren’t quite as smooth.>>
The manners minder is a probably too big of an obvious target. At home, switch her to a smaller target like a plastic lid, then fade that out. You can do it with a travel plank – the goal is to rehearse the behavior and gradually fade out the target so it is the same as a trial.
>> Also, we work 2o2o in practice but I know in trials I get overly excited and sometimes do a quick release once she hits the yellow without verifying the 2o2o.>>
Keep reminding yourself to get htat 2o2o so you don’t confuse her and have to re-train it.
>>One question I forgot to ask: So, in trials, she is running up to me after the run to bite me now. Never even thinks about it during a run, just when she knows the run is over. Yesterday, in practice, if I didn’t get the toy out fast enough after a run, she was coming at me like she does in a trial. How do I work to stop that?>>
When they bite us, it is because they don’t understand the remote reinforcement fully and are aroused/frustrated. She might know how to do the agility part of it, but she doesn’t understand the end of run parts of it – so definitely train those games fully so she understands the full routines. You will find games for that in Packages 2, 3, and 4 🙂
Because she is biting you, I would go back to running NFC so you can work the end of run with the toy in the ring at first, then gradually move it back out of the ring. It is a good thing to work on now before the biting gets bigger. And you can use a snuffle mat outside the ring too, to help her decompress.
>>Do I not celebrate or praise her excitedly until after we calm down a bit and get out of the ring. >>
That is a band-aid and she might bite you anyway LOL! It is the training that matters here.
>>Interestingly, her littermate was there this weekend (they look/act EXACTLY alike), and Rogue’s owner said that in the last trial or so, she has transitioned from the biting at the end of the run to jumping up and biting him during the run whenever she gets frustrated. I don’t want to get to that point because Syn seems to run so clean and focused right now, even when I mishandle.>>
Yikes! I don’t think Syn will end up doing that as long as you play the various games like the end of run games, remote reinforcement, find my face, etc. Let me know how those games are going!
Tracy
